Lions and Tigers and Jaffa, OH MY!
by Hoshi Kawada
Summary: Two marines are found dead in a D.C. campground. But wierd wounds warrants arrival from their coworkers in Colorado Springs. First crossover, so please no flames. Constructive criticism is welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**Lions and Tigers and Jaffa, OH MY!**

**A Stargate SG-1/NCIS crossover**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey Gouldie, guess what?"

Major Thomas Merrigoold cringed at the nickname his CO gave him. Ever since he'd joined SG-15, Colonel Michael Langton insisted that the last part of his surname sounded like Goa'uld. Merrigoold didn't mind, though – he'd been called worse over the years. And besides, he'd been through enough with Langton to trust the man with his life.

"What?" Merrigoold responded, turning as his CO caught up with him.

"General Landry finally cleared our vacation time. You know what that means, right?" Langton grinned broadly as he spoke.

"Merrigoold smiled back. What the blonde – haired colonel was referring to was a trip they'd been planning for months. Both Marines had grown up near D.C. and shared a love for a certain local campground. "Yep. There's no place like Perichase." He said. "When do we leave?"

"The next flight leaves tomorrow at 0800. Be there, or be square." Langton said, playfully punching Merrigoold in the shoulder before trotting down the hall.

Merrigoold shook his head. He was often amazed at how many colonels like Langton the SGC managed to pick up. It made his job all the more enjoyable.

"This looks like a good spot" Langton declared, examining his surroundings. They were in a clearing near the main Perichase campground, surrounded on all sides by oak trees. They were the only people around for a mile, since it was Wednesday.

"Seems as good as any" Merrigoold agreed, setting down the camping gear. "And if memory serves me right, there's a river a few miles south that makes for good fishing."

Langton laughed. "You sound like General O'Neill."

"Hey, at least this river actually has fish in it." Merrigoold shot back.

"Just set up the tents while I get the firewood, will you?" Langton said, chuckling as he walked away from the campsite.

It was now dusk as Langton wandered back to the campsite. The sun shown through the trees in botches of orange, pink, and purple.

Langton couldn't help but take note of his surroundings. He'd spent too many missions running from Jaffa that had hidden in the woods to not feel a little jumpy even now, when he knew he was safe on Earth. He picked up his pace, not wanting to be alone any longer than he had to be.

When he finally broke through the trees surrounding the clearing, Merrigoold said, "There you are. If I didn't know any better I woulda sworn you'd run into some Jaffa." His 2IC teased.

"You know what they say - a colonel is never late. Everyone else is simply early." Langton said as he dropped the firewood on the ground.

Merrigoold shook his head. "No, that's what they say about wizards. Get a fire going will you? I want to eat at some point tonight." But a look at his commanding officer told him that something was terribly wrong.

Langton was staring into the trees. "Did you hear that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Hear what?"

"It sounded like a ring device."

Merrigoold snorted. "On Earth?"

"No really –" was all Langton said before he and Merrigoold were shot by staff weapons.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Ziva David sat typing on her computer. Above the constant tap tap tap tapping of her keyboard she heard, as usual, the click click of DiNozzo's pen.

"Hey, Zee-Vah, check this out." DiNozzo said as he made the pen jump using its spring mechanism.

"You know, Tony, I figured that one out when I was in first grade." McGee said from his desk, rolling his eyes without taking them off of his computer screen.

"Tony, I could demonstrate the ten different ways I could kill you with that pen if you would like." Ziva quipped.

"Grab your gear. We got two dead marines."" Gibbs barked as he entered the bullpen. He smiled as his agents jumped to attention at the sound of his voice.

"Where we goin', Boss?" DiNozzo asked.

"Perichase Campground." Gibbs looked around. "Well come on." He said as he gestured towards the elevator.

The four agents dashed to the elevator in response. _Just another day on the job…_Tony thought as the elevator spurred to life.

Tony realized how wrong he was as soon as they arrived at the crime scene. Two men, in civilian dress, lay in the center of their campsite, face down. Both bodies had gaping burn marks in their backs.

The NCIS Agent knew of no weapon that could cause that kind of damage.

"Nice of you to join us, DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he noticed his agent at the edge of the clearing. "Interview. Now." He ordered, pointing at two civilians lounging around the yellow tape.

Tony headed over to the civilians. "Hi, I'm Agent DiNozzo. What are your names?"

An elderly man, about sixty years old, six feet tall with graying hair, answered his question. "I'm Lewis Thomson. This is my grandson, Forrest Thomson." He said, indicating to the brown – haired boy, who was probably about ten years old. "What happened here?"

"If you'll answer a few questions for me, it may help us find out." Tony said. "How did you find the bodies?"

Lewis shrugged, eyes downcast. "We were on our way to the river nearby to do some fishing when we came across them. Forrest and I have seen enough cop shows to know to leave everything alone and call the police. When the sheriff got here he found dog tags on the bodies. Then he called you."

Tony nodded and took down their contact information. "We will let you know if we need anything else." The Thomsons nodded solemnly and walked away.

"Dinozzo, get over here" Gibbs shouted from outside the clearing. Tony followed his boss's voice and found him looking down at a giant circle imprinted in the ground.  
"What do ya think it is, boss?" Tony asked.

"I have no idea." Gibbs answered.

Just then Ducky and Palmer came up to the group. "There you are, Jethro. Though it's a mystery how they were killed, your two marines died two days ago, around 7PM."

"Thanks, Ducky." Gibbs said. "Bring the bodies back to autopsy. Collect some samples of the ground here and give them to Abby. Maybe she can figure out what made that ring thing."

After finishing their en-site investigation, the team headed back to the bullpen.

"Gibbs. My office. Now." Director Jenny Sheppard shouted as the team entered the bullpen.

"Yes ma'am" Gibbs responded, hoping to hell that no one was claiming jurisdiction over his case.

Sure enough, Gibbs noticed four newcomers in Sheppard's office. _Aw hell, here we go again_ he thought as he examined their guests.

The first person – a dark haired man with a giant smirk across his face – seemed to carry himself like a cocky young military commander.

Next to him was a large man, probably of African descent, wearing a beanie and an expressionless face. Gibbs couldn't help tapping his fingers against the P-90 in his holster.

The next man – brown hair, physically built – carried himself the same way McGee and Abby did. Gibbs assumed he was some kind of scientist.

The last of the group he watched with mild amusement. The dark haired woman seemed torn between standing with her teammates and touching everything in the room. The scientist, watching her like a mother hen, kept slapping her hand if it reached out for something on the Director's desk.

"Daniel, will you stop slapping Vala so we can do what we came here to do and go home?" The military commander said as he turned to Gibbs. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, US Air Force. This is Murray, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Vala."

So Gibbs could still profile people correctly. "So what does a flyboy, a body guard, a scientist, and a tourist want with NCIS?" He asked causally.

"We're taking over the investigation you're working on." Mitchell said.

Mitchell watched the older man stiffen. "May I ask what the US Air Force wants with two dead marines?"

"That's classified.' Mitchell answered. "But I can tell you that the Marines worked with me in Colorado. We will do all we can to find their killers."

"Their deaths will not go unnoticed." Teal'c said next to him. Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"Murray here is a consultant for… classified stuff." Mitchell explained unhelpfully. "His people value a warrior's spirit almost as much as Klingons do."

Vala stifled a laugh while Jackson elbowed her. Honestly, Mitchell couldn't go anywhere without those two flirting half the time. He shot Vala a look that (he hoped) said "Say one more word and I'll have the _Daedalus_ leave you on a deserted desert planet that doesn't have a Stargate." Vala rolled her eyes, knowing eh would do no such thing, but she kept her trap shut anyways.

Turning his attention back to the NCIS agents, Mitchell said, "Director Sheppard, a little help here?"

The redhead stared Gibbs down. "Jethro…" She started.

Gibbs gave her a look that could kill. "No." He said flatly. "They're Marines. It's my case. And there's no way in hell I'll hand jurisdiction over to a flyboy and his buddies."

Mitchell's jaw locked. Gibbs was a typical jarhead. Stubborn, set in his ways, no idea when he should back away from a fight. "Look, if I have to go over your head I will. Believe me; I can get the president's signature on this if I have to."  
"Then you'd better start making some phone calls." Gibbs stated as he stormed out of the office.

"Agent Gibbs, get back in here!" Director Sheppard shouted, but to no avail. She shook her head in frustration. "I apologize. He's always like this."

Mitchell stared at Jackson and Vala. "I know what you mean. I have enough trouble with these two." He said, jerking his thumb in their direction. "Guess I should make that phone call."

"Do you think it's possible to run a joint investigation?" Sheppard asked hopefully. She knew Gibbs wouldn't like it, but it was better than losing jurisdiction entirely.

Mitchell shrugged. "I'll ask my superiors, but none of you have a high enough security clearance to work with the stuff we work with. And that's important to the investigation."

The NCIS director nodded in understanding. "Do what you can, will you?"

"Yeah." Mitchell replied. General O'Neill was not gonna like this one.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This will be the last update for a while. It'll probably be another week before a new chapter is added.

Please R&R!

Disclaimer, cuz I forgot it on the other chapters: Stargate: SG-1 and NCIS belong to their respective owners.

**Chapter III**

"They WHAT?!" Jack O'Neill hollered in disbelief.

"They won't release jurisdiction, sir." Mitchell said, taking the phone off his ear slightly, fully expecting a stream of cuss words from the older man. He looked around at the rest of SG-1, all of them sitting at various spots in the hotel room listening to the conversation. Carter and Daniel were smirking and Teal'c had an eyebrow raised. Vala just looked bored.

"What was the name of the agent in question?" Jack asked, trying his best to calm down.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, sir." Mitchell said.

Jack sighed. He should have known. That old jarhead had a stubborn streak worse than his own. But it was the same stubborn streak that had saved O'Neill's life and the lives of his men during a fouled – up Black Ops mission. _Dammit, I hate it when I owe people favors_, Jack thought. "I know the guy and I know he's not going to back down. Alright, fill them in, but tell them NO PRESS and that you're in command, and tell that no good ex jarhead that Jack O'Neill said he no longer owes him a favor."

Mitchell frowned at that last bit. "Uh, sir, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly do you know Agent Gibbs?"

If Jack O'Neill was in the room, Mitchell was sure the man would be glaring at him. "Let's just say he helped me out of a tight spot during my special ops days."

Mitchell immediately understood. "Ah. One of those favors."

"Yep, one of those."

"Alright, sir. I'll break out the paperwork." He hung up the phone. Everyone sat in silence for a minute.

Daniel was the first to speak. "So Jack's letting them in on the biggest secret of the country because he owes Gibbs a favor?" He asked incredulously.

"Indeed" Teal'c responded.

Mitchell glanced around. "Well, I guess we should head back to NCIS headquarters."

With that the group got up and headed to the waiting rental car.

* * *

"Don't look now, but I think we've got company." Tony said from his desk as he watched four strangers exit the elevator. His eyes remained fixed on the hot brunette. Ziva elbowed him in his side once she noticed his expression.

"Are we interrupting something?" The brunette asked with a slight accent as the group walked up.

"No, you are not. I was just teaching Agent DiNozzo a lesson." Ziva answered before Tony got the chance. Not that she would have needed to answer quickly, she realized. Tony was busy gawking at the tall, muscled man with the beanie.

"You must have been one hell of a football player in high school." DiNozzo remarked. The man just cocked his head and raised his eyebrows in response.

Mitchell turned to the agent. "Actually he was an actor. Played the bodyguard and bad cop roles." He glared at Vala as she stifled a laugh again. "You three wait here. I'll go talk to the Director. Don't touch anything while I'm gone."

As Mitchell left the room, Vala turned her attention back towards the two NCIS agents. "I don't think we ever were properly introduced. I'm Vala." She said, "And this is Dr. Daniel Jackson and T-Murray." She corrected herself before revealing Teal'c's true identity. Daniel resisted the urge to rub his temples.

"What can we do to help you?" Ziva asked after introducing herself and Tony. McGee was down in the lab with Abby, working with her on the ring imprints in the grass. Gibbs was upstairs talking with the Director and the newcomer.

"Actually, we're here to help you." Mitchell said from the top balcony. "If you'll all come up here for a while, we'll explain."

Ziva and Tony shared a look before heading up the stairs. _This should be interesting_, Tony thought.

Not long after, Gibbs and his team were gathered in Jenny's office. Each person had a non disclosure agreement in front of them. With a bit of persuasion, Mitchell had been able to get most of the NCIS agents to sign their papers. All but one.

"Why do we have to sign these again?" The black – haired girl with weird tattoos and pigtails asked for the tenth time.

Vala rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, just sign it already. It's worth it." She taunted.

Pigtails looked at the woman on her right. "Where's your accent from?" she asked, hearing Vala speak for the first time.

Vala smirked, sensing an opportunity. "Sign and I'll tell you."

It worked. "Alright, here." Pigtails said, signing the paper. Vala snatched it from her hands and handed it to Mitchell.

The man sitting across the table from Vala stared at his coworker. "You signed a non disclosure agreement to figure out someone's accent?" He asked incredulously.

"It's Abby, what do you expect?" The girl next to him responded.

"Colonel Mitchell, you already know myself and Agent Gibbs. Let me introduce the rest of the team here." Director Sheppard said as she listed off each team member's name.

"Good. Now that everyone's acquainted, can we please get on with this?" Gibbs asked irritably. He had a case to solve and this was taking way too much time.

Mitchell looked at Jackson. "Your turn, Daniel."

"Our story begins with a dig in Giza in 1928..." The archeologist began.

"Egypt?" DiNozzo inquired.

Vala sighed, annoyed. "This'll go so much quicker if you don't interrupt." She said seductively, brushing her foot along his leg. Tony froze, not sure what to say.

"Vala, remember what happened the last time you tried that on someone from Earth?" Mitchell warned.

"What? We're going to be working together; why can't we get a little… friendlier?" She winked at Tony as she spoke.

Gibbs, who was sitting on Tony's other side, slapped the agent upside the head.

"What was that for, Boss?" Tony asked.

"Looking." Gibbs answered before turning back to Jackson. "You were saying?"

Daniel blinked. "Uh yeah. Egypt…"

~+~+~+~+~Two Hours Later~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

McGee gaped at Teal'c. "So you're an alien?"

"Indeed" Teal'c said.

"And you travel to other planets using a wormhole?"

"Indeed."

McGee turned to Gibbs with the expression of a giddy schoolboy.

"No." Gibbs said automatically. Who knew what would happen if he let McGee do whatever it was he wanted to do? "What does this have to do with our case, other than the marines worked with you?" He asked before the probation officer could argue with him.

Mitchell sighed. "Those burn marks on the bodies were caused by Goa'uld staff weapons."

An awed silence fell over the room. Ziva was the first to gain her composure again. "So there are Goa'uld on Earth?"

Daniel shrugged. "It could be from any number of sources. Rogue NID, the Trust, a minor Goa'uld starting a cult…"

"Or it could be Ba'al." Vala continued casually.

"Who's Ba'al? Someone I should know about?" DiNozzo asked, earning him another Gibbs- slap and an evil glare from Ziva.

"Ba'al is the worst case scenario." Mitchell said, sharing a look with Daniel. "He's the last of the System Lords-"

"And he has at least 15 clones…" Vala interrupted.

"-And he's the most dangerous Goa'uld we've met." Mitchell finished.

"Next to Anubis." Daniel corrected, shuddering. _Why me?_ Mitchell thought.

"What makes this Ba'al so dangerous?" Ducky asked.

Daniel hung his head. "He tortures prisoners to death… slowly… then he brings them back to life in a device called the sarcophagus and he does it all over again… and again."

"Yeah that happened once to General O'Neill." Mitchell put in. "It's amazing the guy's still doin' his job."

Gibbs looked up when he heard Jack's name. "Some things never change." He said sadly.

Mitchell made a mental note to ask the NCIS agent about that later. "Speaking of Jack, he says hi."

Gibbs smirked. "I'm sure that's not all he said."

"He also said that he no longer owes you a favor."

"So he thinks."

"That's what she said", Vala muttered to Tony, earning her a glare from Mitchell.

Jenny cleared her throat. "Gibbs, why don't you take SG-1 to the crime scene? Maybe they can make some sense out of what we found."

"Yeah Jenny." Gibbs said, heading for the door.

"Uh, Boss, it's rush-hour time." Tony started.

"So what, DiNozzo?"

"So it'll take two hours to get down there."

"So what, DiNozzo?"

"So I don't think we should be letting an alien parasite run around our nation's capitol for two hours longer than we have to."

Mitchell smiled. "I can arrange for faster transportation. Colonel Caldwell?" He asked into his radio. "We're ready."

"Understood."

And with a brilliant flash of light, the room was empty.

A/N: Yes, I am evil. I left you at a cliff hanger and I won't update until Monday! MUAHAHAHAHA! Have fun waiting!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry about the long break between chapters. Lots of stuff going on in real life. And a bad case of writer's block.

As usual, I don't own anything except the plot of this story.

* * *

Gibbs and Ziva had their sidearms out as soon as they rematerialized aboard the _Deadalus_.

"Woah, woah, woah," Mitchell said as he put his hand on Ziva's gun. "Cool it, will you? You're aboard the _Deadalus_, one of Earth's starships."

DiNozzo snorted. "And I'm Monty Python."

"Uh, Tony," McGee started, not taking his gaze off of whatever he was looking at past his coworker's shoulders. DiNozzo and the other NCIS agents turned around.

DiNozzo's mouth opened and closed twice before he could speak. "Ok. I believe you now."

Mitchell laughed. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Colonel Caldwell, commander of the _Deadalus._" He gestured to a balding man walking towards them in a green jumpsuit.

"Welcome aboard, Agent Gibbs." Caldwell shook Gibbs's hand. "The _Deadalus_ will serve as your base of operations for the course of the investigation."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You're not going back to Atlantis?"

Caldwell shook his head. "No. When Carter heard about the murders, she had us leave as soon as we could. The rest of the fleet is stretched pretty thin thanks to the Priors, so we got stuck with you guys."

"Sam's here?" Mitchell asked.

Caldwell nodded. "She's working with Hermiod on the computer system. They're trying to set it up so Ms. Sciuto can do her work up here."

"Why can't I work back at the lab?" Abby asked Caldwell suspiciously.

"Your lab doesn't have access to our mission reports or NID fingerprints. Our computers do." He shrugged. "And we'd rather not leave classified material like that at NCIS with no one to watch it when you're not in the room."

"Not that we don't trust you," Mitchell quickly jumped in, "It's just that none of you coworkers have high enough security clearance to know about all of this. If they somehow were to come across the information…"

Gibbs nodded, seeing his point. "Then they could endanger the lives of those in the program."

"Not to mention themselves." Daniel added, happy that Gibbs agreed. It would have been difficult to get them to go along with this if he hadn't.

"I assume that is why I am here as well?" Ducky asked.

"Yes, Dr. Mallard." Caldwell confirmed. "You will be working in our Morgue." He turned to Jenny. "Director Sheppard, it's probably best if you return to NCIS headquarters. Someone needs to do damage control, and we'd rather not stir up the hornet's nest by kidnapping the head of NCIS."

Sheppard nodded. "I agree. Keep me informed of my agents' progress. If Gibbs gives you a hard time, just let me know." Gibbs glared at her.

"Yes ma'am. If you are ready, then?" Caldwell asked. Sheppard nodded and a bright white light engulfed her, marking her departure. Caldwell turned to the other agents. "Colonel Mitchell can show you to your workspace." With that he turned his attention back to running his ship.

* * *

Mitchell beckoned to a nearby doorway. "Let's pull Sam from Hermiod first."

"Who's Hermiod?" McGee asked. "And did someone say something about the Lost City of Atlantis?"

"Hermiod is the Asgard working on the _Deadalus_. He keeps their technology running. Jackson would be better to talk to about Atlantis." Mitchell replied, looking back at his colleague as they climbed into an elevator. He and Gibbs started discussing plans for the case before McGee could ask the colonel any more questions.

Daniel turned to McGee. "A couple of years ago we discovered an Ancient outpost in Antarctica. It wasn't until recently that we discovered that Atlantis was the original city that the Ancients, the race that built the Stargates, lived in. After a year or two of digging we found that Atlantis was in another galaxy. We decided to send an expedition team there and they've been living in the city ever since."

"Why did the Ancients leave Atlantis?" McGee asked as the elevator stopped and the group followed Mitchell down another corridor. "Is it the same city in the old legends?"

"Our expedition team discovered a race of advanced aliens called the Wraith. They're kind of like Vampires, except they suck the life out of humans with their hands. That's why the Ancients left Atlantis – they were losing the war and they didn't want the city to fall into the hands of the Wraith, so they sunk the city and left for Earth, letting it slumber until they could return again. Ten thousand years later, we come around and raise the city from the ocean thanks to a failsafe mechanism put in place by someone from the past. So yes, it is the same city. In fact we believe that the old legends are based off of what Plato must have heard from a surviving Ancient."

"Are we there yet?" DiNozzo asked.

Mitchell rolled his eyes. DiNozzo and Vala really were a good couple – both of them were incredibly annoying, but good at their jobs. "Almost, DiNozzo."

"So back to our original discussion." McGee said, changing the subject. "What does Atlantis have to do with the _Deadalus_?"

"The _Deadalus _has been based at Atlantis for a couple of years now. It goes back and forth, sends messages, back and forth, fights the Wraith, and basically does whatever Atlantis needs it to do." Daniel responded.

"How long does it take to get to Atlantis?"

"About thirty minutes, now that the gate bridge has been built. Ask Sam about that later. She understands it much better than any of us. Put simply , we strung a whole bunch of Stargates together to build a bridge between Earth and Atlantis."

"Wait, my turn McGee." DiNozzo interrupted and fell into step between McGee and Daniel. "How come we aren't floating?" He asked the Archeologist.

Daniel blinked. "Inertial dampeners. Asgard tech."

"Oh. Cool!" DiNozzo said and turned away. Most of this was so far over his head he was glad something could be explained in four words. He fell back to where Ducky and Teal'c were walking. He couldn't imagine what those two would talk about.

"So you had a parasitic life form living in your stomach?" Ducky was asking the Jaffa.

"Indeed." Teal'c replied.

"What was it like?" Ducky asked, giddy as a school boy. _That's the medic in me,_ he thought to himself, _always fascinated by a new development in biology._

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I would have torn out the larva False God if I would have survived."

DiNozzo frowned. "False God?"

Overhearing his question, Ziva hissed in Tony's ear, "Didn't you listen during the presentation, or were you too busy gabbing at Vala to pay attention? Goa'uld pretend to be Egyptian gods. Jaffas, like Teal'c, are their servants and they carry Goa'uld babies around in a pouch like a mother Kangaroo." Ziva glared at him.

"I knew that." DiNozzo said haughtily. "And it's gawking, Ziva, not gabbing."

Ziva huffed. "I like my way better."

Daniel stopped all of a sudden. He had heard Ziva's response. Heart pounding wildly, he turned. "Can you say that again?"

Ziva looked at him quizzically. "I like my way better." She said. Again.

"She always says that when we correct her English." DiNozzo said. Now the entire group was watching the exchange quizzically.

"What's up, Jackson?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing. It just reminded me of someone I knew a long time ago."

"Well, we're here anyways." Mitchell gestured to a door on his left. He made a mental note to ask Daniel about his little outburst later.

"Finally," Vala and DiNozzo said in unison. And the bickering between him and Ziva started back up again.

Daniel watched Ziva closely now. He had to get a chance to pull her aside. If there was any ay she could be.. Daniel blinked a few times to get himself together and shook his head. He'd approach Ziva later, when they were alone. He didn't want prying ears eavesdropping when he talked to her.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I truly am evil. I cut things off as soon as they start to get interesting. Well, my dear readers, you'll just have to wait until Daniel gets a chance to talk to Ziva before finding out their past. That may happen next chapter, it may not. Who knows? Only time will tell.

If you review I might be persuaded to move that part early into the story rather than later. Just a thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything recognizable.

**A/N: **Well, here it is. So I have started another fanfic. It's an In Plain Sight/Stargate SG-1 crossover. I will work on each fic on alternating weeks; this week is Lions/Tigers/Jaffa (LTJ). For reference this chapter, the portion after _**Fifteen Years Earlier**_ is a flashback.

Chapter Five

"Hey, Sam." Mitchell greeted as they entered the room. The blonde looked up from her work.

Sam smiled. "Hi cam." She glanced at the NCIS agents. Looking at the older, graying agent, she said, "You must be Agent Gibbs. I'm Colonel Samantha Carter, U.S. Air Force."

Gibbs shook her hand and introduced the rest of his team. The blonde smiled when he reached Abby. From the young forensic scientist's file, Sam had been expecting an eccentric, so she was prepared when she met the NCIS scientist. "So you're the forensic scientist." She said as she and Abby shook hands. "Come on, I'll show you the setup Hermioid and I came up with."

"Speaking of the little bald guy, where is our resident Asguard?" Mitchell asked.

"I am here, Colonel Mitchell. Is my assistance required?" A voice asked behind the console across from Carter, causing everyone except Carter and Teal'c to jump in surprise.

"No, Hermioid. Colonel Caldwell had just told us that you and Sam were working together."

"In that case, I will return to my duties. IF you need my assistance, please let me know." Hermioid went back to his work without even batting an eye.

McGee's mouth fell open. "Is that-"

"An alien? Yeah. But don't expect to get much out of him." Seeing blank expressions, Mitchell continued, a little quieter than before. "The Asguard are kinda like Vulcans; extremely advanced, but reluctant in sharing information. That's why Hermioid's here- he's babysitting the Asguard toys integrated into the ship's system."

"'E.T. phone home." DiNozzo quoted, with his index finger pointed upwards. Teal'c cocked an eyebrow… the Asguard did not resemble the race of aliens discovered in _E.T._ and they were fare more advanced than the fictional aliens were.

Sam grinned slightly. The comment made her think of a certain Air Force general who wasn't in the room at the moment. "Miss Sciuto, will you come over here? You'll be working from these consoles."

"Actually, Sam, could you get Hermioid to show her around? We need you for the investigation." Mitchell asked.

"Sure, Cam. Hermioid, show Miss Sciuto how the system works, will you?"

"Yes, Colonel Carter." The alien moved to where Abby was standing. The scientist looked like a kid in a toy store. McGee looked jealous. She glanced pleadingly at Gibbs, waiting for him to agree to the plans.

Gibbs sighed. "Ducky, stay with her until she's figured everything out. Then find your way to the morgue. Don't get lost."

Ducky laughed. "That shouldn't be a problem, Jethro; Mr. Palmer is the one who always gets us lost on the way to the crime scene."

"If it helps, Dr. mallard, there are coms in every hallway. Call the bridge if you need directions." Carter said as the group headed out the door.

"Thank you, Colonel Carter, I will remember that."

"Bye, Gibbs!" Abby said, waving at his back.

Ten minutes later the remaining team pulled out chairs around a table in a briefing room.

"So. We need a plan." Mitchell started.

Gibbs looked down the table at him. "We need to know what we're dealing with first."

"He's right, Cam. We can't have a plan if we don't know who or what our enemy is." Carter agreed, smiling sympathetically at her commanding officer.

"O.K. then." Vala said casually. "Why don't we search the area around the campsite? They must have been nearby – otherwise, why bother killing those marines?"

The others stared at her. "Her logic makes sense for once, boss." McGee agreed.

Gibbs nodded slowly, showing a slight smile as he spoke. "Teams of two. One NCIS with one SG-1." He looked at Mitchell. "Work for you?"

Mitchell nodded. "Carter with McGee, Jackson with David, Vala with DiNozzo." He cringed as he said it. He shouldn't leave Vala alone with DiNozzo, who knew what she would do to the poor agent. "And Gibbs with me." That left Teal'c. "T, buddy, make sure Vala and DiNozzo don't try anything."

McGee and Ziva sniggered as DiNozzo protested. "Hey! I know how to act when I'm on the job."

"It's not you they're worried about." Vala explained, pouting slightly. The group shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, we should get down there." Gibbs said. "We're wasting daylight."

"Right." Mitchell got up and walked over to the com by the door behind him. "Colonel Caldwell, beam us down to the crime scene."

"_Yes, sir."_

The flash of light dissipated and the group was in the forest area surrounding the campsite.

"_I put you down twenty yards south of the crime scene, Colonel Mitchell."_ Caldwell informed them over the radio.

"Understood." Mitchell replied. "Alright, let's head to the campsite, then we can decide who goes in what direction. " He led the group through the forest to the crime scene.

When they reached the area of the attack, the group circled around the would-be campfire.

"Did you find anything unusual at the crime scene, Agent Gibbs?" Mitchell asked.

"We found strange ring imprints in the ground a little ways away from here." DiNozzo answered for his boss.

"Show us." Mitchell glanced at Teal'c and Daniel. It sounded like a ring device.

"Here." Gibbs declared, pointing down to the imprints. Sure enough, the imprints were the exact size and shape left by a ring device.

"So that rules out the Trust." Daniel concluded. SG-1 nodded; Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. It is unlikely that the Trust would have access to a Goa'uld ring device."

"Especially one that doesn't connect to its destination like most do." Sam added.

McGee started to question that, but Gibbs cut him short. "Later, McGee." He turned to Mitchell. "I take it you've seen something like this before?"

Mitchell nodded. "Yeah. They're from a Goa'uld ring device- used for teleportation."

"ColonelMitchell, would it not be prudent to guard the ring device to discover where our enemy comes from?" Teal'c asked.

"Yeah." Mitchell concurred as a plan started to fall into place. "You, DiNozzo, and Vala will stay here in case they come back. Everyone else, search the surrounding area. They can't have gone far on foot." He punched the button on his radio. "Colonel Caldwell, we need you to run a sweep of the system for any Goa'uld ships. It looks like a ring device was used near the campus."

"_Will do, Cam."_

Gibbs looked at the team. "Meet back here at sundown." There was no point in searching anything past then; no light meant that his agents could miss something pretty easily.

The group broke off into pairs and wandered into the woods, weapons drawn in case of hidden enemies. All except for Teal'c, Ton y, and Vala. Tony sighed. "Well, this is fun."

They hid behind separate trees, and settled in for a long wait.

Daniel's mind was reeling with memories as he walked along side Ziva David. He remembered the summer he spent as a graduate student working on a dig in Israel near Tel Aviv assisting his professor. He was introduced to a young Israeli native who was sent by her father to guide the Americans around the city…

Fifteen Years Earlier

_Their small plane came in for a bumpy landing at Tel Aviv's pint- sized airport. Daniel sneezed for the thousandth time that flight. His professor rolled his eyes. "Daniel, will you PLEASE stop spreading those awful germs?"_

"_Sorry, Professor Shackman, my allergies…"_

"_No excuses, Dr. Jackson."_

"_Yes,_ _Professor."_

_The other students chuckled slightly a the exchange. They all had experienced Jackson's annoyingly consistent allergies before when they assisted their professor on a dig. Jackson was brilliant for someone so young, but he was a bit eccentric. Still, the other students respected him; he already had a PhD in Linguistics, after all._

_Daniel stepped off the plane into the Israeli sun. His professor beckoned him over towards a young Israeli girl, probably no older than seventeen. Once the other four students had gathered around, Professor Shackman introduced the native to the group. _

"_Class, this is Ziva David. Her father sent her as a guide during our stay."_

"_I hope I can be of assistance." David said politely as she shook their hands. "Come; a shuttle to the dig site awaits us."_

_Daniel was impressed. Young David carried herself in a way that he would expect from someone twice her age. Not to mention the fact that she spoke perfect English. "Where did you learn English?" Daniel asked in Hebrew, the national language of Israel._

_David was surprised. Most Americans insisted on speaking English to her. "My father hired a teacher for me. Where did you learn Hebrew?"_

_Daniel smiled. "I'm a Linguist. It's my field of study."_

"_Could you teach me how to speak other languages? My father wants me to speak as many as I can."_

"_Why, Miss David?" Daniel asked her._

_Ziva hesitated. They couldn't know she was a Mossad agent. It would jeopardize her mission. "My father is a businessman. He… wants me to take over our company when I'm old enough." Ziva smiled. "And please, Dr. Jackson, call me Ziva."_

_Daniel smiled back. "In that case, call me Daniel."_

"_Are you two coming? History doesn't dig itself up, you know." Professor Shackman called as he and the rest of his students climbed into the shuttle van._

"_Coming, Professor." Daniel said, chuckling slightly as they jogged up to the van. This will be an interesting summer, Daniel mused._

_**A**_**/N: **Hope you enjoyed! See you next time.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, here we are again. Sorry for the long wait; real life gets in the way of writing my fics, so it may be a month or so between updates from here on out. Hope you're enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing this. So this chapter will be a little on the longer side and it'll start in flashback mode. All flashbacks will be in italics. **

**Thank you to all of the reviewers, you make my day. If anyone can give me directions on how to use the editing program without republishing the chapter every time I edit something, I'd really appreciate it. Special thanks to cflat for catching the little errors in my story I will either address in this chapter or address through editing.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything recognizable.**

_Ziva watched as Daniel brushed away sand from his glasses. "They are just going to get dusty again, you know." She commented._

_Daniel snorted. "You try working on a dig site with dirty glasses." He was hunched over a table of artifacts they'd pulled from the dig. A pot laid to his right, a makeshift knife to his left. Daniel was examining an ancient coin._

_Ziva looked around. The American team had been a big help to the Israeli team. Hardly two weeks had passed, and the joint team was already far ahead of schedule. Ziva glanced at her watch. "It is lunchtime. Care to join me?" She asked Daniel._

_Daniel looked dismayed. "But I'm not finished!" He exclaimed. _

_  
Ziva laughed. "It will still be there when you come back, Daniel."_

"_But-"_

"_Break time, Daniel."_

_Daniel sighed. It seemed his young Israeli friend had picked up on his tendency to overwork himself. Now she seemed intent on fighting against it. "Alright," he caved, following a gleeful Ziva to the food cart._

_They hadn't been walking five minutes before Ziva stopped in her tracks. Daniel barreled into her. "OOF! Sorry I- hey, what's up?" He'd spent enough time with the young Israeli in the past two weeks to know when something was bothering her. _

_Ziva shushed him and motioned for him to get behind her. Daniel stared at the young girl. Her entire demeanor had changed in a matter of seconds. He couldn't help but wonder what she had been hiding the last two weeks. _

_The pair circled around a nearby tent and hid themselves behind a couple of crates. Peering over the tops of the crates, Daniel finally saw Ziva's cause for alarm._

_There, kneeling on their knees with their hands on their heads, sat the rest of Daniel's classmates and his professor. A group of Israeli men pointed military-grade guns at them. _

"_Where is Ziva David?" One asked the professor in heavily accented English._

"_I don't know," the professor whimpered pathetically, his voice wavering as he spoke._

_THWACK! The butt of the gun in the Israeli's hand hit the professor square on the nose. "WHERE IS SHE?!" The Israeli pressed the gun on Professor Shackman's forehead._

"_I DON'T KNOW!!" Shackman screamed in terror. The Israeli cursed and wacked the poor man over his head again._

_Daniel ducked back behind the crates he had seen enough. "Deshalb würden sie suchen Sie_?" _He asked Ziva in German. 'Why would they be looking for you?' he translated to himself._

"_Vermutlich, um sie einzuschüchtern mein Vater. Warum sprechen wir Deutsch?" Ziva answered. _

'_Probably to intimidate my father. Why are we speaking German?' Daniel silently thought in English. He couldn't help but admire her German- while it was a little accented, her pronunciation was dead on. "Also, wenn uns jemand hört, können sie uns nicht verstehen." He replied; 'so if someone hears us, they can't understand us'. _

_Ziva nodded. "Guter Punkt." She conceded. 'Good point'. Ziva hesitated before saying, in English this time, "but let's speak English; we will not remain here for long." She pointed to the tents behind them and motioned for him to follow._

_They stealthily made their way through the maze of the dig site. Daniel had no idea where they were going, but it was obvious Ziva had some sort of plan. He hoped it involved some way to call for help._

"_In there," Ziva pointed to a tent. Daniel followed her inside. The young Israeli started rummaging through a bag and Daniel finally realized that they were in Ziva's tent._

"_Here," she tossed Daniel a gun, but it fell to the ground as he dodged it. Daniel's jaw dropped. "You don't seriously expect to mount a rescue operation, do you?" He asked incredulously._

"_It is why I am here."_

_Daniel stared at her. He KNEW she'd been hiding something. "What do you mean?"_

_Ziva sighed and looked up at him as she cocked a gun. "There's no use hiding it now. My father is the head of Mossad. He sent me to protect our American guests." She gestured towards him, indicating that the "American guests" were him and his classmates. _

_Daniel raised an eyebrow. "And how does he expect you to do that?" Daniel asked, not sure he really wanted to hear the answer, while suspecting that he already knew the answer._

"_I am Mossad."_

**************

"Dr. Jackson?" Ziva's voice broke Daniel out of his memories.

Daniel looked her in the eyes. "_Erinnerst du dich an deine erste Mossad-Mission?"_ He asked in German. 'Do you remember your first Mossad mission?' he translated to himself, just as he had done all those years ago.

* * *

Gibbs walked silently next to Mitchell as they headed away from the campsite. The young colonel broke the silence after a few minutes. "So you knew General O' Neill?"

"Yeah." Gibbs replied, though he silently reminded himself that he wouldn't tell Mitchell anything that O'Neill hadn't told him.

"How did you two meet?" Mitchell inquired, curious.

"Ask him." Gibbs replied, "Or figure it out yourself."

"Huh?" Mitchell wasn't expecting such a curt response. But, he gathered that if Gibbs was really anything like Jack, he wouldn't want to talk too much about his past either.

Gibbs had to fight to keep his temper. "I figure you've known Jack a lot longer than you've known me, so you should ask him first before asking me." It seemed a reasonable response; in truth, all Gibbs really wanted was to respect the old flyboy's privacy, which this hothead seemed intent on probing.

Mitchell sighed. He was afraid Gibbs would say that. Now he'd have to find some other topic for discussion. "DiNozzo and Vala seem to be getting along." He commented casually.

"DiNozzo gets along with all the girls, as long as they're not too bright."

Mitchell sighed again. It was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

McGee trotted up to Carter, who was already a few yards ahead of him. "So you and the alien set up a program for Abby?"

Carter turned to face him. "Yeah. We basically gave her everything she needed to do the job she does back at her lab."

McGee was impressed. "There must be some pretty advanced technology on that ship, then. No program I know of could do all of that at once."

"Yeah, most of the tech on the _Deadalus_ is far beyond anything available to the general public, mainly because we got a lot of it from the Asgard."

"That alien was an Asgard, right?"

"Actually, Hermiod is a simple holographic representation of a real Asgard."

McGee frowned. "So why did Colonel Mitchell say that Hermiod was here to watch the ship?" It didn't make any sense. Why would the Asgard send a hologram to do something like that?

Carter's expression saddened. "Until recently, Hermiod was alive and working on the ship. We're still not used to thinking that he's gone."

McGee understood that. He had had a rough time getting used to the fact that Kate wasn't around anymore after she died. He knew Tony had had the same problem and suspected Gibbs did too, though the older agent hadn't shown it as much. "What happened?" he asked Carter.

"The Asgard race was a race of clones. They had cloned themselves so much that by the time we met them their genes had started to break down. Unable to find a solution to their problem, they gave us their database of technology and committed mass suicide." Sam summarized the events surrounding their demise. "Hermiod died with what remained of his species."

McGee grimaced. The technology was a wonderful gift, sure, but it wasn't worth the loss of an entire advanced civilization, especially one that had obviously been allies with Earth. No, as much as he loved computers, he valued another person's life much more. "At least you had some warning that it was coming." He commented, thinking about Kate again.

Sam shrugged. "We knew it was going to happen if they couldn't find a cure. We didn't know when, though, so we really weren't prepared for it."

McGee wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. Now, remembering the events surrounding Kate's deaths further, he realized his initial response had been misguided. He voiced this new idea. "I can see that. The same thing happens when one of our agents dies. You don't really think about the possibility-"

"-Until it actually happens." Sam finished with a sad smile. "Exactly." She experienced more often than she would like in the Stargate Program, but it was a risk they all took when they signed up. She was glad that McGee understood.

* * *

Ziva gaped at her long lost friend. "Daniel?" He nodded. "It's been awhile." She said, smiling.

"Yeah. You've grown up." He teased.

"So have you," she shot back. "Since when have you worked out?" Ziva looked him over again; she hadn't noticed the change before now.

Daniel laughed. "Well, when you do what I do for a living-"

"-It's a necessity." Ziva finished with a nod. "It is the same with Mossad. And NCIS."

"Did you have any idea it was me?" Daniel asked teasingly.

"No." Ziva replied seriously.

"I've changed that much?"

"Yes." Ziva laughed. Then she finally realized the reason for his outburst earlier. "You knew after I said 'I like my way better', didn't you?"

Daniel shrugged. "I had a suspicion." He said with a slight smile.

"So do you still overwork yourself?" Ziva asked, teasing him for a change.

"Yeah. Now I have a whole base that gets on my case on a daily basis." Daniel grinned. "Do you still play babysitter?"

Ziva grinned mischievously. "Not in the same way. Not to the same extent, either. I make sure Tony stays out of trouble."

Daniel laughed. He did the same thing with Vala. "Tony and Vala really are a lot alike, aren't they?" Daniel asked.

"It seems so. Which is what scares me the most about their flirting."

Daniel nodded. "I'm just glad Vala's off my case. But I'll reel her in if she gets too close to harassment."

Ziva doubted that Daniel would be able to notice when Vala went too far. "Tony goes too far all the time." She shrugged. "It will be good for him to get a taste of his own sugar."

"It's 'medicine' Ziva." Daniel automatically corrected.

"I like my way better." She automatically responded.

Daniel chuckled at the familiar reply. It was so easy for him to fall into their old banter. He hadn't seen Ziva in years. One of the few people he really connected with – and here she was again.

Though he didn't know it, Ziva felt the same way. To her, Daniel was the same thing as Ziva was to him. He was one of the few people who understood her, one of the few people she had completely trusted on a Mossad mission. And she was glad to be around him again, too. But their respective brief moments of contentment ended all too soon. For as they passed another tree, the sounds of an activating ring device could be heard from the crime scene.

**A/N: There! A nice long one to hold you until next time. Hope it was worth the wait! **

**I thrive on reviews, good and bad. Please review, and if you notice something is not Canon or I've got small details wrong, follow the examples set before you and use constructive criticism. Thank you.**

**A/N 2: I don't speak German, so thank goodness for Google Translator. If it's wrong, let me know and I'll fix it. To anyone looking for a Europe vacation, I suggest going to Germany. A gorgeous country, it is. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait for an update and I'm sorry this is so short. I figured you all would appreciate a quicker update rather than a longer chapter. Thank you to all who helped me edit the previous chapters. Thank you to those who reviewed, too. **

**Chapter 7**

Daniel and Ziva stopped walking simultaneously. It came to no surprise to Daniel that even though Ziva had never heard a staff blast before, she still recognized the sound as a weapon's discharge. But even Ziva needed confirmation.

"That was a weapon blast, was it not?" Ziva asked as they started jogging back to the campsite. She pulled out her handgun, expecting trouble at any moment.

"Yeah." Daniel answered. He pulled out his zat, and upon noticing her handgun, he commented, "don't expect that to do much if we run into Jaffa. They almost always wear metal armor."

Ziva nodded. "The last time we were in this situation, our roles were reversed." She commented, smiling slightly at the memory."

Daniel laughed. "You said it yourself- I've changed." He let his thoughts drift back to that day in Israel, so long ago…

"_I am Mossad" Ziva's words echoed in his head, even five seconds after they were first uttered. Daniel opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before saying, "but even a Mossad officer cannot mount a rescue mission on their own."_

_Ziva glared at him. "Mossad officers complete the mission – at all costs." _

_Daniel gaped at her, noticing the bitterness in her voice. Of all things, the young Israeli had not seemed reckless, except when driving. 'At all costs' sounded pretty reckless to him. "Ziva, whatever they told you during your training- whatever your father's told you- don't listen to it. No mission is more important than a person's life."_

_Ziva smiled sadly at him. "You are mistaken, Dr. Jackson- the mission is always more important. Besides, I would do whatever it took to save even one life, much less the half dozen or so lives of your colleagues."_

_Daniel sighed. She had a point, as much as he hated to admit it: there really was no way to get help. They were a good two hours' drive from Tel Aviv, they didn't have a car, and they were in the middle of the desert, so walking was out of the question. And letting her attempt a rescue mission on her own was out of the question, too. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"_

_Ziva smiled. "I knew you'd come full circle."_

_Daniel laughed. "It's 'come around', Ziva."_

"_I like my way better." Ziva motioned for him to give her the gun in his hands. "How much experience do you have with guns?"_

_Daniel blanched. "None."_

_Ziva sighed, muttering something about the American education system. "Okay, let's start with the basics…"_

The sounds of battle drew louder as they grew nearer to the campsite. Daniel ran through different scenarios in his head. If their enemy was the Trust- well, they were easy enough to handle. A well-placed zat blast knocked the host out and allowed the team a chance to tie them up and defeat the Goa'uld in charge. If their enemy was Ba'al- that would be more difficult. He didn't even want to consider that possibility. The truth was, without knowing who or what they were up against, all he could come up with for any real plan was something he'd expect Jack to say – shoot the bad guys and try not to get caught.

He and Ziva were now closing in on the edge of the campground. The crept silently to the tree line around the ring device. Soon they could see the group they had left earlier.

DiNozzo, Vala, and Teal'c had their hands on their heads as they stood in front of two Jaffa pointing staff weapons at them. Daniel couldn't see the Jaffa's heads, so he couldn't tell who they served.

"What's the plan?" Ziva asked next to Daniel in a rushed whisper.

Daniel shook his head. "I need to know who we're dealing with." He whispered back. "Let's circle around for a better look." They slinked foreword until Daniel could see the Jaffa's faces. Daniel didn't recognize their tattoos - which meant, thankfully, that they weren't up against Ba'al or another renegade System Lord.

"What've we got?" Mitchell asked suddenly as he and Gibbs came up behind them. Ziva had a gun to his forehead before he finished his sentence.

"We don't know for sure." Daniel admitted as Ziva lowered her gun. "I don't recognize these tattoos, which could be a good thing."

"How so?" Gibbs asked.

"It could mean that it's a minor Goa'uld with minimal forces – easy enough for our teams to take out." Daniel started.

"But it could also mean that it's another Goa'uld like Ba'al, possibly worse, that we haven't encountered yet." Mitchell finished for him. "It is interesting that Daniel doesn't recognize the tats, though. Most of the Goa'uld use Earth gods as the basis for their religion."

"This Goa'uld could actually be using a religion that originated off world, for once." Daniel suggested, "or it could be another obscure religion from Earth that I'm not as familiar with." Mitchell snorted when Daniel suggested this.

"So, basically, don't drop your guard." Gibbs summarized, ignoring Mitchell's remark. Daniel nodded while giving Mitchell a glare.

"So what is the plan?" Ziva asked impatiently. It seemed to her that they now had enough information to form an attack plan.

Daniel looked at Mitchell, who shrugged before saying "Here's what I was thinking…"

* * *

"_Carter, come in."_ Mitchell's voice cracked over the radio.

"Yeah, Cam, what's up?" Sam answered, halting and motioning for McGee to do the same.

"_It seems that Teal'c, DiNozzo, and Vala met our missing friends."_

Sam and McGee shared a glance. "What do you need us to do?" Sam asked after a long silence.

"_Keep hidden for now, but get closer to the camp site. We'll fill you in on the plan later on."_

"Yes sir. Carter out." Sam said as she and McGee started jogging back to the crime scene.

"I take it this isn't your first hostage situation?" McGee asked Sam after noticing her calm, a demeanor that comes only with experience in situations like this.

Sam nodded. "Both as the hostage and the rescuer. You?"

"The same, unfortunately." McGee answered.

"Another one of those things that comes with jobs like ours." Sam commented.

"Yeah," McGee agreed. They jogged in silence the rest of the way to the campsite, both focusing on the job at hand rather than any conversation.

* * *

"KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!" _Thwack!_ The Jaffa's staff weapon knocked DiNozzo's legs out from under him. He fell to his knees with a grimace. The ring device activated in front of him, and when it had settled into the ground again, a tall man with brown, curly hear stood before him.

"My Lord, these are the prisoners of which I spoke." The head Jaffa told the newcomer, motioning to Vala and Tony.

The brunette nodded his approval while examining the two hostages. He stopped when he noticed Vala. "Qetesh? I had heard you were dead." He questioned in the augmented voice the Goa'uld favor.

"I could say the same about you, Alexander." Vala answered. Tony looked at her quizzically, not remembering the bit about Vala's previous imprisonment inside her own body. Then her words hit him- _Alexander!_ He studied the man's garbs once more.

The brunette before him- Alexander- had on battle armor reminiscent of ancient Rome. Instead of a broadsword, Alexander had a strange curvaceous weapon- at least; Tony thought it was a weapon- attached to his belt. He leaned on the same staff weapon that the head Jaffa had carried earlier. "Uh, hi, sorry to break up the happy reunion, but who are you?" DiNozzo asked Alexander.

Alexander's eyes flashed gold in anger. "I am your god, Alexander the Great!"

**A/N: Yay! Finally, an update completed! Hopefully I won't be so long between updates next time. **

**Review, please- it's the only way I can grow as a writer ****have fun!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here we are again! Oh, and just so you're aware, Teal'c was **_**not**_** captured with Tony and Vala. It was my mistake in Chapter Seven when I said he was. **

"Let's go over the plan one more time." Mitchell said for Carter, McGee, and Teal'c's benefit. The three had met Mitchell, Daniel, Ziva, and Gibbs in the campsite near the clearing.

"Charge the clearing." Daniel recited, "and try not to get killed."

"Yep." Mitchell nodded.

"Could I make a suggestion?" Ziva asked.

Mitchell was about to say that civilians couldn't make suggestions, but then he remembered that the NCIS team weren't really civilians, least of all her and Gibbs. He nodded his permission.

"Half of our group wanders a click or so from the clearing and fires a weapon," Ziva started. "The other half attacks the clearing when the soldiers go off to see what's going on."

"Distract and attack," Mitchell commented. "It could work."

"It worked the last time." Daniel confirmed, remembering Ziva's plan in Israel.

Carter looked at him, confused. "We've never used that before, as far as I can remember."

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "I do not remember using this charge with the Tau'ri before."

"Care to explain, Jackson?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel shrugged. "I was an assistant for a dig in Israel in Grad school." Daniel explained. "Ziva was our protection, though we didn't discover that until after Mossad's enemies took the rest of my grad class and our professor hostage to weed her out into the open."

"Daniel and I decided to mount a rescue mission." Ziva cut in.

"Well, she decided and forced me into it." Daniel corrected with a smile.

"While I'm sure this is a fascinating story, I do believe we have two hostages to rescue." Gibbs interrupted.

"Yeah," Mitchell agreed. "Why don't you, Ziva, and McGee take the distraction half while we mount the rescule? We have had more experience fighting Jaffa after all."

Gibbs nodded. The idea made sense, and SG-1 really could have a better chance of success than they could. "Agreed. Meet back here when the job is done?"

"No, lead them back into the clearing. That way we can take care of them when they come through." Mitchell suggested. The group nodded, and the NCIS agents wandered off to start their work.

* * *

"So, Alexander, what brings you to this insignificant planet?" Vala asked seductively.

"The size of its population, of course." The Goa'uld declared. "I will start my empire here, just as I did centuries ago."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?" Vala asked.

"Dear Qetesh, do you really think I trust you enough to tell you that?" Alexander laughed evilly. "No, I am not as stupid as you seem to think I am." He walked towards her.

"Perhaps we could… build… that trust?" Vala suggested, pressing her palm against his chest as she stood up. Tony carefully checked his jealousy. He could tell Vala was simply playing Alexander, trying to weed out some answers from him. Lashing out would blow her cover. The Goa'uld leaned foreword and stroked her face.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Get a room, will you?" Thwack! The nearby Jaffa hit his head again.

"Who is this, Qetesh?" Alexander asked, turning his attention to Tony.

Vala shrugged. "An insolent, disrespecting slave I hoped to dump here."

"Aw, c'mon, you know you love me." Tony drawled. Thwack! Another strike to the face.

Alexander smirked. "Shame. He has such a strong spirit. Is he really beyond hope?" Vala nodded.

"Gee, thanks." Tony sneered. Thwack!

Suddenly a gunshot went off in the distance. The lead Jaffa barked out directions to his underling after a look from Alexander. The two ran off in the direction of the gunshot.

BaROOOM! A staff weapon discharged and struck one of the three remaining Jaffa that Alexander had brought with him in the ring device. Alexander's eyes flashed in anger. "What is this?" He spat furiously.

Tony smirked. "You did one thing wrong by taking me prisoner."

"And what would that be?" The Goa'uld asked.

"You pissed off Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Tony explained smoothly. "Nobody pisses off Gibbs and lives to tell the tale." Thwack! The Goa'uld struck Tony's face. Tony's nose was now bleeding profusely.

"It would be wise to stop attacking AgentDiNozzo." Teal'c interrupted, pressing a staff weapon to Alexander's back. He grabbed Alexander's staff weapon and tossed it to the side. The Goa'uld spun around, pulling a zat gun from his belt.

"Not so fast," Cameron said as he, Daniel and Carter entered the clearing. Daniel and Carter pointed their zat guns at the two remaining Jaffa, while Cameron aimed a staff weapon at Alexander. "You ok?" Cameron asked Vala.

"Friends of yours, Qetesh?" Alexander asked.

Vala smirked. "I'm not Qetesh. She's dead. I'm Vala Mal Doran."

"It seems my distrust was well placed." The Goa'uld commented.

Vala rolled her eyes. "Muscles, will you please kill him? He makes my skin crawl."

"Muscles?" Alexander asked.

"Nickname." Tony explained, rising to his feet. "This is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And Leroy Jethro Gibbs is pissed." Teal'c raised an eyebrow. He had no idea why Tony was calling him Gibbs.

Alexander's face paled as he smirked. "And what will he do now?"

"Kill you." Tony answered smoothly.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed and shot the Goa'uld. The others stunned the Jaffa before they could attack Teal'c. Carter and Daniel started to bind the Jaffa's hands together. They would be given the option to use Tetronin, the drug that released the Jaffa from dependency on its symbiote. If they didn't accept, they would still be sent to a planet of their choice. Unless the IOA got involved, which SG-1 hoped wouldn't happen.

McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs came running into the clearing, the two Jaffa trailing behind them. Teal'c spun around and shot off two blasts. Two Jaffa fell swiftly to the ground with a thud. "Thanks, buddy." McGee huffed as he stopped running.

"Tony, I believe you have something on your nose." Ziva commented.

Tony glared. "Next time, you can play hostage and I'll play rescuer."

"Quit arguing with Ziva, DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered.

"Yes, boss." Tony responded automatically. He smirked. "And the day is saved, thanks to…" Tony stopped after a look from Gibbs. He glanced at Teal'c. "How did you manage to escape capture, anyways?"

The Jaffa blinked. "I merely hid myself more sufficiently, AgentDiNozzo."

"Ok, Teal'c, whatever you say." Tony said. "Can we get out of here?"

"Mitchell to _Deadalus_. Beam us up." Cameron said before Gibbs could argue. White lights engulfed them a split second later and they rematerialized on the _Deadalus_.

**A/N: Next chapter is the last one :( But the good news? It's already written, so I'll post it tomorrow. I know this one was short, but it was the best place to cut it. **


	9. Epilogue

**A/N: Last chapter, guys :( It's been fun. If you haven't started reading it already, I have another story up called Hidden Magic. It's a **_**Stargate: Atlantis**_** and **_**Harry Potter**_** crossover. **

**Enjoy! If you come over to Hidden Magic, I'll see you there. If not, it's been fun. **

**Oh, and just an explanation, anything in italics is the past, and anything in regular font is the present. Daniel and Ziva are explaining things, and the others interrupt for clarification, so it could get a little confusing if you're not paying attention.**

"So Daniel, I hear you and Ziva know each other?" Vala asked as the group pulled out chairs around the briefing table on the _Deadalus_.

Daniel nodded. "We were working on a dig in Israel when a group of terrorists attacked the dig site…"

****

"_Are you sure this will work?" Daniel asked Ziva for the thousandth time. He still wasn't convinced that their plan was solid._

_Ziva rolled her eyes. "Yes, Daniel, it will work." She huffed as they walked to the tent where the hostages were being held. After a while, when they were a quarter mile from the tent, she stopped. "This is where you must go that way." She pointed east. "Walk for fifteen minutes, then fire your gun-"_

"_-and run like hell." Daniel finished. "Then try to circle around to the hostage tent."_

_Ziva nodded and watched as he went off into the east. _

_****_

"Hold up." Mitchell interrupted. "You seriously expected to mount a rescue mission like that with two people?"

"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "Success under those circumstances appears unlikely."

"There were a few reasons behind this idea. First, we were the only option for a rescue team, since the dig site was a good twenty miles from Tel Aviv." Daniel began to explain. "Second, we were both young and inexperienced, so we believed – rather reluctantly – in this plan."

"And let's just say that I didn't take Daniel seriously when he said he had no training in weaponry." Ziva finished sheepishly.

Mitchell nodded for Daniel to go on.

****

_Daniel stopped after fifteen minutes of walking. It was time. He held his gun into the air, closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. He was off running before the bullet's blast had stopped echoing over the Israeli dunes._

_Daniel slowed as he neared the tent, looking frantically for Ziva. There she was, about fifteen yards from the tent's entrance, crouching behind two crates with a gun pointing in between. He sneaked across the rim of the hill encircling the tent towards Ziva._

"_Did it work?" He asked Ziva quietly. She nearly fired her gun off in shock._

_Ziva sighed exasperatedly. "Never do that again if you want to live." She admonished as she tucked her weapon back into the crevice. "To answer your question, I believe it did."_

_Daniel watched the tent. Five of the terrorists grabbed machine guns and jogged in the direction of the bullet's blast, with the leader shouting angrily after them. Now only three remained, including the leader, to watch the prisoners. "Huh" Daniel was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected the trick to work._

_Ziva smirked. "I told you it would work." She prated. "Now all I have to do is take out these three." She first targeted the leader. "Cut off the rooster's head and its body will not know what to do," She explained to Daniel. She fired. Pop! The leader fell to the ground in a heap of blood._

_Daniel looked quizzically at Ziva. "Silencer," She explained, pointing to the device around her weapon. As she had predicted, the two goons guarding the shocked hostages were staring at each other in confusion. Pop! Ziva shot another terrorist, who crumpled to the ground._

_This time the third terrorist saw where the bullet came from. He started jogging over to Ziva's crates. Pop! The third and final terrorist crumpled and fell._

_Daniel and Ziva circled around the crates to the cheers and applause of the American dig team. The half-dozen archaeologists were impressed, especially after they heard the full story of the rescue plan. _

"_OK, Daniel gets an A for the year." Professor Shackman joked and the class laughed. None of the group would bet against Daniel's top grades. "And any job recommendation he wants." That was big – Shackman was infamous for refusing to write recommendations._

"_Th-Thank you, sir." Daniel stammered. "But Ziva did all the work, really."_

"Speaking of which," Ziva interrupted, "There are still five men out there with guns." The group blanched. "Does anyone have experience with firearms

"_Yes, I do." Shackman said, surprising everyone. "I like hunting." He defended himself. "Or at least I used to. I haven't been able to go hunting since I started watching over you brats."_

"_I do too." A student admitted in between chuckles. "My dad owned a gun shop when I was young."_****

Ziva's expression brightened considerably. "If there's no one else?" Seeing none, she turned to the two volunteers. "Then let's go finish the job." She tossed Shackman and the student guns from her bag.

"You didn't think they'd have a problem killing someone?" McGee asked.

Ziva shook her head. "No, we didn't kill anyone else. We just wounded them and waited for my father's men to arrive. They killed the terrorists after interrogating them." That sounded like Mossad to Gibbs.

"So what happened next?" Carter asked.

"After this incident, the university decided that it wasn't safe for us to be in Israel and they sent us home." Daniel looked at Ziva. "We haven't seen or heard of each other since."

The room fell silent, then they started discussing the mission. Though the team had no idea where the Goa'uld had heard of Alexander the Great, according to Vala he had very minimal forces. She suspected that the soldiers they had killed/caught today were the extent of his "army". Apparently Qetesh and other Goa'ulds had attacked Alexander time after time, leaving his forces badly depleted.

"If that's it then, I suppose our work here is done." Gibbs declared, with reluctant nods from the rest of his team.

Mitchell grinned understandably. "Let's call Dr. Mallard and Ms. Sciuto, then, and send your team back home."

Gibbs shook his head. "Call Ducky up, I'm sure he'll be ready to go. Abby, on the other hand, will need a certain amount of prodding. I'll go get her, and meet you up on the bridge."

The group stood up and went their separate ways.

* * *

Daniel walked along Ziva's side as they headed up to the bridge. "So the next time I'm in D.C., would you be interested in a cup of coffee?" He asked. Ziva wasn't the little girl he remembered. Strong, beautiful, and stubborn, she reminded him of his wife, Sha're. He didn't want to lose her again.

The Israeli felt the same way. "I'd like that." She agreed. She needed someone she could be totally honest with. Though she trusted Gibbs and her other coworkers with her life, she couldn't seem to take down every barrier when she was around them like she could with Daniel. It would be good to keep in touch with him.

The group rounded another corner on their way to the bridge. Just ahead of Ziva, Tony and Vala were having a similar conversation.

Tony was flashing his most seductive smile. "So, when you visit D.C. again, I'd be glad to show you around."

Vala smiled back. "Hm. You're cute, but not that cute." She scoffed, and bounced foreword, leaving Tony dumbfounded and stuttering.

Ziva laughed, thoroughly relieved. "Nice try, Tiger." She commented, clapping his shoulder. "Looks like this rabbit got away."

"Shut up, Ziva." DiNozzo snapped. The group entered the bridge and began waiting for Gibbs's arrival.

* * *

"Gibbs!" Abby shouted as he entered the room. "Look!" She ran her arm through Hermiod's body. "It's so cool!" Hermiod blinked.

"Yeah, Abbs. I know." Gibbs headed her off before she could really get started. "Time to go, Abby."

The scientist's expression turned to dismay. "But Gibbs!"

"No buts, Abby. The case is closed. We're done."

She looked from Gibbs to Hermiod. "Can I keep him?" She pleaded.

"No, Abby. He's needed here." Gibbs answered. "Come on, it's time to go." He repeated.

She pouted, but followed Gibbs out of the room, looking back from time to time to Hermiod.

"So who'd it turn out to be? Some sort of evil alien dictator?" Abby asked Gibbs.

"In a sense." Gibbs answered. "It was a minor Goa'uld impersonating Alexander the Great."

"COOL!" Abby squealed. She blabbered excitedly about the ship's inner workings until they reached the bridge.

* * *

"Well, this is it." Mitchell said when Gibbs and Abby had appeared. "Thank you for your help."

Gibbs nodded. "Anytime, flyboy." He pulled a business card from his wallet. "You ever need us, just call." He handed it to Mitchell.

"Auf Viederzein, Ziva." Daniel cut in.

Ziva grinned. "Auf Viederzein, Daniel." She handed him her business card.

Gibbs glanced around the room then nodded to Caldwell. The group was engulfed in the now- familiar white light as they were sent back to the briefing room they departed from earlier that day.

* * *

"Tony, let go of my hiar." Ziva spat. DiNozzo held her hair with both hands, yanking hard. Ziva yelped.

Gibbs strode into the room. "DiNozzo, if you don't stop bugging Ziva I'll have Mitchell send you out an air lock."

"Yes, boss. Understood, boss." Tony let go of Ziva's hair. Gibbs wacked Tony upside the head.

Though Gibbs thoroughly enjoyed his new threat, which he had been using frequently these past few weeks, nothing compared to the time-honored 'Gibbs-slap' to keep his agents on their feet. "Let's go. Grab your gear." The team leapt into motion and dashed off to solve their next mystery.

**The end!**


End file.
